Ashwin's stunning comeback to Ponting's ‘India haven’t been at their best in T20 World Cup' remark

Close games doesn't mean that Team India has not yet played to its full potential as a few prominent names like former India captain Ricky Ponting have suggested. Responding to Ponting's 'India haven't been at their best' comment, Ashwin said it would be 'unfair' to say something like that.

India's journey in the T20 World Cup so far has been anything but a bed of roses. Barring the match against the Netherlands, the Rohit Sharma-led side has had to toil very hard to achieve narrow wins against Asian rivals Pakistan and Bangladesh. The only match that India have lost so far in the tournament also went down to the wire. This, however, doesn't mean that Team India has not yet played to its full potential as a few prominent names like former Australia captain Ricky Ponting have suggested. Responding to Ponting's 'India haven't been at their best' comment, Ashwin said it would be 'unfair' to say something like that.

India's Ravichandran Ashwin (AFP)

"India haven't been at their best yet, but Virat has been very very good in a couple of games. He is now the leading run-scorer in the history of the T20 World Cup and I think if India are to actually progress and go on to win, they need Virat there to be playing really well," Ponting had told reporters.

Ashwin said T20 is a game of small margins and having close games doesn't mean the stronger team on paper hasn't been at its best.

"The experts themselves feel they are catching up with the game seeing how it has evolved. So, it would be unfair to say that the team has not stepped up or the team is not looking at its best. It is about how one performs on the day and how are you going to counter a bowler who has bowled a good over. You cannot nail it down and say a team has not played good cricket or wonderful cricket. T20 cricket is standing on small margins so to make any reviews, I would just say that make a review after the game," he added. Ashwin said in the pre-match conference on Saturday.

When asked about his thoughts on India being the favourites to win against Zimbabwe, Ashwin said the ones commenting on the game are also learning about T20 as a format.

"We have not reached here easily (laughs). We have had quite tricky games against Bangladesh and Pakistan. These games went down to the wire. I think even people watching the game, giving their expert opinion on the game are still learning because the game is decided by such small margins," he added.

India have a simple quation in front of them. It is all or nothing. If they beat Zimbabwe on Sunday then they will finish on top of Group 2 and more importantly, confirm their place in the semi-final. A washout in Melbourne will also mean India will qualify but if South Africa beat the Netherlands in their last match then will top the group.

In case of a Zimbabwe win, India's chances will get slim as Pakistan have a better run rate and if they beat Bangladesh, they will qualify.